Arbor Preschool is place to play, learn, and grow.

Our philosophy

Arbor Preschool offers an emergent, play based curriculum for children ages 2.9 -5 years old. Arbor Preschool Berkeley is also a Spanish immersion school. In our diverse and interconnected world, we believe that knowledge and understanding of more than one language is an increasingly important skill. We know that children are the best learners of languages- the younger the better! Children will learn through normal, every day interactions; this is not a language teaching school. We believe bilingual education strengthens cognitive development and keeps our children’s minds and hearts open to the people and world around them. Bilingual education helps children become dynamic thinkers who see the world with empathy and compassion.

Educating young children begins with respecting their ideas and interests and encouraging their innate wonder and curiosity. We understand that children learn the most when they are interested in what they are learning. This is the reason we use emergent, play based curriculum - emergent meaning it comes from the children and they decide where the learning goes. We as teachers observe and follow the interests and curiosities of the children, not the other way around. Child directed play is the means through which our children engage with the world, and it is the cornerstone of learning at Arbor Preschool.

We believe the foundation of learning, though, starts at home. Family is the child’s first and most important teacher, so we work to embrace not just the child in the preschool learning experience, but the whole family as well. We will (depending on the state of Covid) host regular events for our families during the year in order to come together and strengthen the connection between home and school and to strengthen the bond of the community. We welcome family involvement and encourage participation in field trips and classroom projects, again, as Covid allows.